The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung states, ‘Civilization today has become sick because man has alienated himself from God.’ Is not this the worst malady that afflicts modern man? We live in an age of unprecedented scientific progress and technological comforts, so many conveniences, so many gadgets. But alas, all this has only inflated our ego and blinded us to the truth about ourselves—that we are all God’s children. I think the greatest affliction of modern civilization is that we are moving away from God and the awareness that we are His children. Some young atheists even say, ‘We have no need for God. There is nothing that man cannot do on his own. Man has been able to set his foot on the moon. Man’s rockets go flying past the distant planets. Man has been able to station satellites in space. Who needs God today?’ God is the source and sustainer of life. And man cannot live a healthy life physically, mentally, morally, spiritually, so long as he cuts himself off from God. it is very easy to drive the Spirit out of the door—but once you have done that, life loses its flavor; the ‘salt of life’ grows flat. Yes. This is exactly what has happened to us today. Life has lost its flavor; the salt of life has grown flat; today more and more people are beginning to declare that life has no meaning—therefore, what is the point in living? Thanks to material progress, we have more and more ‘means’ today—but lesser and lesser meaning. Material opulence is increasing—but the number of suicides goes up too! Internet, broadband…high-speed communication…but increasing hypertension! Gyms and elevators…but more heart diseases! Megabytes, gigabytes…millions of data cells being transferred in nanoseconds…but more misunderstandings and absence of real communication! Mobiles, SMS, flat screens, LCD, plasma TVs, laptops, palmtops, greater digital resolution…but no time for family and friends! Five start hospitals, state of the art equipment, more comfortable wars…but less care and compassion! Higher standard of living…but reduced quality of life!” (Source: Dada JP Vaswani, Peace or Perish—There is No Other Choice) [Dada Vaswani (b. 1918), a well-known spiritual Master, heads the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, based in Pune]